Goodbye
by Sady-Lyn
Summary: Alternate version of 'Here With You'. Inuyasha goes to Hell, Kagome goes crazy, and something really bad happens. Oneshot.


**Goodbye**

Inuyasha stood by the God Tree, staring at the spot where he once lay. _Kikyo pinned my with her Sacred Arrow here, and Kagome freed me_. He loved both so much, cut now he had to choose. A life with Kagome or going to Hell with Kikyo for eternity.

A rustling around in the trees drew his attention. "Oy, who's there? It better not be you idiots again."

"You think me an idiot, now, Inuyasha?" The cool, melodic voice of Kikyo sliced through the air as she stepped out of the underbrush.

"Wha…what are you doing here?" he asked. _Why didn't I catch her scent?_ Thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn't sort them out.

"I am cloaked with the smell of the forest," she said, as if she'd read his mind. "Soon, though, you will no longer feel all these things. Soon, you will be in Hell, with me."

-

"How could he? How could he?" Kagome repeated the phrase over and over again. Sango sat next to her on the cot, consoling her saddened friend. "But, I thought… him and me…she…I…" Her voice faltered. _This is only a nightmare. He isn't going to do it. He couldn't. He loves me._

"Oh, honey, it'll be alright. We'll take care of you. I can't guarantee how much help I'll be though." She gestured toward her stomach, which was rounded from her third child. "Miroku, come inside and help me."

He rushed inside and help her up, putting his arm around her waist to steady her. "Kayami, Sakura!" he called. Two young girls appeared at the door. "Go to the old miko for your training." They scampered off, their small voices carrying on the wind.

"Miroku, if Kagome needs to, could she stay here, until a hut is constructed for her." Sango gave her husband a look that told him to say yes. But before he saw her face he answered.

"Of course Kagome-chan can stay with us. All friends are welcome." Kagome could no longer go home, seeing as how she had sealed the well.

Naraku had found a way into her time, killing her family and all within a mile of her home. As soon as she found out, she sought him out and killed him, ridding Miroku of the Kazaana. This was shortly after Sango and Miroku had been married, both in her time and in Sengoku Jidai. She had since lived in Inuyasha's house, though she could no longer live there, since his trip to Hell was pending.

Kagome suddenly sensed Kikyo and went to the door. She and Inuyasha were walking out of the forest, slowly toward the well. Kagome walked out slowly, following behind slowly, as if in a trance. The remainder of the Inu Gumi came next, heads bowed in respect of the two mikos.

Inuyasha stopped and threw a handful of flowers into the well, paying his respects to Kagome's family. Then all but Kikyo bowed in front of the small shrine constructed in their memory.

They were the only ones who had come. The rest of the village still deemed Inuyasha as a hanyou unworthy of their trust. Sango and Kagome were seated on the ground, Kagome's arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Sango tried comforting her, because the poor girl was sobbing uncontrollably.

Kikyo threw the girl a disgusted glance. "Inuyasha, are you ready? I have only this one chance to leave." She reached for his hand, but he moved away when he saw Kagome stand up.

"I really wanted to do something special for you, so here is my parting gift." Kagome stepped toward him and began to sign a soft melody.

_It would be nice if we could throw away – Everything but what is most important – Reality is just cruel – But whenever I close my eyes – You're there smiling – I wish that smile will – Be there forever_

Everyone but Kikyo clapped. Inuyasha bent down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. Before he moved to join Kikyo, he whispered in her ear. "Kagome, I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

"Don't forget me." And then he backed away towards Kikyo. She ran back to Miroku and Sango, who wrapped her in their arms, letting her cry on them. She turned around and watched as Kikyo prepared to go to Hell.

She was kneeling on the ground, hands palms together. She was meditating, gathering her full power. Everyone stared at her, watching her prepare the area. She had taken a packet of magical herbs with her, which she now scattered around her in a circle. She stepped of circle and grabbed Inuyasha's hand.

She began chanting words barely audible to the rest of the group. Kagome knew what she was saying. Kaede had taught her those words as a last part of her training. "I call upon the gods to open the earth and let Hell come forth. I call upon the gods to open the earth and let Hell come forth." Kikyo repeated this over and over until the wind began swirling around them, enveloping them in a cloud of flying dirt. The ground moved under their feet until the circle of magical herbs broke open. Hell had surfaced.

Kikyo dragged Inuyasha to the edge of the hole. Above the noise, Inuyasha shouted to Kagome, "I love you!" The young miko watched, horrified, as Kikyo pulled Inuyasha into the gaping hole. Everyone watched as Hell receded back into the earth, the ground closing up. Kagome ran to the edge of the herb barrier, hoping to see Inuyasha's hand there, him waiting to be pulled back up.

But he wasn't there. All that remained of him were footprints and the prayer beads that had been flung out of the hole before it closed. The miko knelt down the herbs and cried. Her love was gone. She didn't have anything anymore. He was really gone. Her friends came up to console her, but she just pushed them away.

-

Two days later, Kagome still knelt by the ring of herbs, watching for some sign that he would be coming back. Her friends came and pulled her away. She let them, becoming limp and lifeless.

She sat in a dark corner of Sango and Miroku's hut, rocking back and forth, whispering, "He's gone. He's not coming back," over and over again to herself.

The villagers came to visit her, but she didn't even look up when they spoke to her. She just repeated the same thing. She became thin, and was almost a ghost. When she did leave her corner, her friends barely even recognized her.

-

About a week after, she finally ventured outside. She went to the God Tree, running her fingers along the indentations of where the Sacred Arrow that had pinned him used to be. She sat down and rested her head against the tree.

_I first met him here,_ she thought. She closed her eyes and remembered all the good times they'd had. Their first kiss; watching Shippo run around the lake with sparklers on the night of the festival; living together in his house. Then, with tears running down her face, she remembered all the bad. Hearing his call out Kikyo's name and resurrecting her spirit, taking it from Kagome; watching him kiss Kikyo; watching him hold her; hearing him talk about her constantly.

"I wish her were still here," she said aloud. Then, as if from nowhere, she saw a glow coming in front of her. It grew until it resembled Inuyasha in perfect detail. _'My Kagome,'_ she thought the apparition said.

'_Follow me.'_ Thinking that the image was real, she got up and moved to go after it. She didn't realize what it really was. The glowing Inuyasha led her down the path to the canyon.

Kagome followed the image of him to the edge of the canyon. _'Kagome, it's all right. Come with me. You can stay with me forever.'_ Kagome smile, the tears running down her face. She took another step forward, her toes curling over the edge of the canyon.

'_Come with me. Come with me,'_ he kept calling to her as he moved further away from the edge, his voice getting a little bit fainter. Kagome closed her eyes and imagined holding him, kissing him, once again.

"I'm comin', Inuyasha. I'm coming." She took another step, her last.

It seemed almost like she was floating, like she was held up by an arm or something. "Inuyasha, I'm almost there." She thought she could almost feel his lips against hers.

"Goodbye," she whispered, just before she took her last breath. Looking up at the sky, and her imaginary Inuyasha, she hit the ground; the force from the fall killing her instantly.

-

When some nearby villagers heard the sound of Kagome hitting the bottom of the canyon, they hurried to it. As they looked across to the other side, they saw Kikyo's spirit; an evil grin plastered on her face. She pointed downwards and they all looked.

About a hundred feet down was the body of Kagome, lying limp and lifeless on the canyon floor. It was easy to tell she was dead. When the villagers later went down to retrieve her body so she could be burned, they noticed she had a smile on her face.

-

After Miroku and Sango heard of how Kagome died, they knew instantly what had driven Kagome to kill herself. Kikyo's spirit had escaped from Hell and had pretended to be Inuyasha. She fooled Kagome into thinking that Inuyasha was going to be with her in heaven if Kagome followed her over the cliff.

The End


End file.
